SLIME BUG. I?m sure there is a fancy name for this next critter, I call it A slime bug. They hang out at ground level and hollow out the side of MJ stalk. They make slime/ foam looking stuff that they hide in to keep away from predators. They are mushy red/ black looking things. Easy to spot and fairly easy to deal with, observation is best.
Grasshoppers can be pesky no doubt. In most cases GHs will only eat leaves, but a big GH can eat the top of a small plant rather easy. There is MANY kinds of GHs that will eat your MJ. I find that treating with basic garden pesticide is about the best GH protection, providing your plants are not flowering. Unless you have an army of "garden" spiders the GG will encounter GHs on a daily basis.
There is not to many Spiders that can help the GG. However there is some good ones, mainly the Garden spider. The GG can re-locate spiders to patches. Most spiders will make their webs at the edge of patches once moved to location.
Note: When handling spiders I use two sticks for transporting. It is good to feed them once you see a web to make their move easier.
Ladybugs are good for eating the smaller pest such as Fly Larva that lay their larva under the fan leaves. Ladybugs do not last VERY long when you take them to patches. I find it?s a waste of good time, OBSERVATION is your best insect control.
The Praying Mantis is also a good one. These will most likely stay right on or in your plant. They eat MANY things, including your spiders, so be sure and separate them. The Praying Mantis is the over all best insect for the GG. They will stay on location fairly easy and they will eat many things. They are fun to watch and will grow very big for an insect.
I have Tick bites that have been with me for better part of five years. They actually reoccur when I get hot and sweaty, especially one on the inside of lower right leg where my boots rub. Ticks can be a POTENTIAL killer. The "Chippawa Snake Boots" with my pants leg down inside repel a lot of Ticks as this is a MAJOR route the Tick likes to take. So at least put your pants leg in your socks.
Soap: Heavily scented soaps work at repelling deer. Among these are Irish Spring and Zest. What you do is shave the soap in thin slices around your plot. The pros are that it works, but the cons are that you must replace the soap once a week. This gets very old very quick, as well as cost you money every time.
Human Scents: Deer dislike the smell of human scents. One method of spreading your scent around is to urinate all around your site. What you may also choose to do is urinate in a 2 liter soda bottle, and pour it around your plot when you visit. Urine, like the soap, will need to be replaced every week. Another, more cumbersome, yet more efficient solution is to spread human hair around the area. This may be retrieved from a barber shop. In this case, you simply throw fistfuls of hair around the area, and it is said to repel deer for a few weeks, unless rain washes it away.
Fencing: Ive found that simply setting up a physical barrier around your plot will keep deer away. You'll want to pre-measure the perimeter of your area. Make sure the fence is at least 3 feet past your plants on all sides so the deer doesn’t reach in and snack on fresh shoots. Then go to a local hardware or superstore and get 2 lengths of dark colored fencing that are long enough to reach around your plot. This fencing can range from wire to rope, just anything that’s strong and will resist stretch. You'll need multiple lines to prevent small babies up to large deer from eating your grow. A line about 2 feet, 3.5, 5 ft and 7 ft should suffice. It is my understanding that fawns are copying their mothers actions for the most part, but you should not underestimate their curiosity. Fawns probably won't ruin your grow, larger deer will. I've personally seen a deer hurdle a 5 ft barbwire fence. 7 ft should be plenty. If you have extra line feel free to make more wraps. If you wrap your plot with the above suggestion, you are not guaranteed protection from deer, but they will surely not jump the fence unless necessary.
If you are paranoid about it, you can hang branches from the line as camouflage. This will not "hide" the fence, but it will break the outline.
Ive found that the fence method works best. It works just as well as the others, but is also reusable. After harvest, simply cut or untie your fence, roll it up and store it with your other supplies until next season.
